Tube shaping tool



Aug. 21, 1934.

E. s. CORNELL, JR

TUBE SHAPING TOOL Filed July so 1932 ATTORNEY.

Patented Aug. 21, 1934 UNITED STATES PATENT "OFFICE rr'UBE SHAPING TOOL tion of Delaware Application July 30, 1932, Serial No. 627,086

'5 Claims. (01. 153-49 My invention relates to means for shaping hollow tubular or cylindrical elements or parts and the same has for its object more particularly to provide -a simple, efiicient and inexpensive tool ,for reshaping the ends of such elements or parts.

Further, said invention has for its object to provide a tool for quickly and conveniently restoring or reshaping the ends of metal tubes true.

Further, said invention has for its objectto provide a tool for the purposes specified comprising essentially two cooperating parts between which the deformed end of a tube is received and plied to one of said parts.

Further, said invention has for its object to provide a tool of the character specified in which the parts thereof are coordinated to reshape or restore the ends of tubes without causing the formation of an irregular metal line, regardless whether the tubeshave inwardly bulging or outwardly bulging deformations therein, or both.

Further, said invention has for its object to To the attainment of the aforesaid object and;

ends, my invention consists in the novel features of construction, and in the combination, connection and arrangement of parts, hereinafter more fully described and then pointed out-in the claims. In the accompanying drawing forming part of this specification, Q

Figure 1 is a side view showing one form of shaping tool constructed according to, andembodying r'ny said invention; Fig. 2 is an end view thereof; Fig. 3 is a centrallongitudinal,section of the tool on the line 3-3 of Fig. 1, with the end of a ment or sleeve having a large opening 11 at one which have become deformed or rendered out of restored to its original or true form by power apthe sleeve member 10, formingan annular'tube provide a tool for the purposes specified compris-- metal tube in position therein, and about to be,

end terminating in an inwardly beveled edge 13 forming a tapered tube deflecting surface, and having the other end closed and provided with an opening which forms a shoulder 15; Upon the outer side of the tubular element or sleeve 10, adjacent one end thereof, is provided an integral collar or knock-off 10 of substantialthickness and depth. The tubular member 10 constitutes a female die against the inner side ofv the opening or passage 11 thereof the outer side of a tube '5 or other article may be conformed.

The male die or cooperating expanding element or mandrel member 16 is cylindrical in form, and the diameter of its body portion 16 is slightly smaller than the diameter of the opening 11 in receiving space or recess between said members. The forward end of said element 16 terminates in a tapering deflecting portion 1'7, and its rear or inner end 19, which is of reduced diameter, is a screw threaded and provided with a nut or head 20 preferably of circular outline, and corresponding in diameter substantially with that of the tubular member or sleeve 10.

The diameter of the intermediate portion 18 of the element 16 is slightly smaller than the body or forward portion of the element 16 in order to provide an annular shoulder 18 which is adapted to contact with theannular shoulder 15 in the tubular element 10 to limit the inward movement of the element 16 with respect to the cooperating enclosing portion 10.

- By preference the expanding element 16 is made of such length that in its retracted portion (in which the shoulders 15 and 18 are in conftact) the-greater, portion of the conical end 17 of said member will project beyond the end of the tubular member 10,- and the angle of the beveled edge 13 of the sleeve member 10 corresponds to that of the inclined side'of the conical point 17 of the element 16, so that an annular V.-shaped recess is provided communicating with the annular space between said parts when the element 16 is in its initial or retracted position as shown at Fig. 3. The cylindrical portion 16 has anaxial length less than the axial length of the sleeve 10, and is disposedinall positions entirely within the confines of the sleeve 10.

In operation the deformed or injured end 21 of the tube 20 is first inserted into ,the annular l05 V'-shaped recess between the parts 13 and 17, as shown at Fig.- 3. The mouth of the .member 10 is of ample size to receive the distorted end 21 of the tube, or: such end 21 may. be roughly shaped by a hammer or mallet before applying the tool, so that the end 21 will fit in the tapered recess within the confines of the member 10, the member 16 being forced back to fully retracted position as shown at Fig. 3. With the deflecting portions 13 and 17 in concentric relation as shown, the tube end 21 is initially engaged at both sides by said members 10 and 16, and the tool is thus firmly seated on the end of the tube so that the engaged parts can be grasped by one hand and firmly held in proper alignment with each other while the tool is being driven without danger of the tool becoming angularly displaced relative to the tube, and thus interfering with the restoring action. While the engaged parts are so held the head 20 is repeatedly struck with" a mallet or hammer to force the device as a unit upon the tube 20, the tube 20 being heldrigid until the deformed end of the tube 20 is forced over the conical end 17 of the element 16, and inward until the edge of the tube comes into contact'with the shoulder 15 in the sleeve member 10. The: device is particularly adapted for curing deformities in tubes in which the bulge or bulges extend predominately outward beyond the normal or true outline of the tube, or in which the bulges extend predominately inwardly within the true outline of the tube, or in which the bulge or bulges extend both inwardly within and outwardly beyond the true circular outline of the tube.

When the head 20 of the tool is struck the inner member 16 initially moves forwardly relative to the outer member 10 to round out or expand the tube end 21 while the latter is being confined at the exterior by the wall of the member 10. The construction is such that the exterior of the tube end 21 is confined by the member 10 toprevent undue expansion of the tube end 21 during the restoring action of the member 16 which can effected first because of the relative movability thereof. Substantially instantaneously the head 20 engages the member 10 and, under the repeated blows, the outer and inner-members 10 and 16 are forced as a unit upon the tube 209. Since the exterior of the tube 20' was initially in. engagement with the bulges. Simultaneously the portion'of the tube surrounding the body portion of the male die or element 16 will have become fully conformed to the outer surface of said element 16 and the inner surface of the sleeve member 10, and the end of the tube fully restored to its true or cylindrical form whereupon the tool maybe removed from the end of the tube by striking the lateral surface of the "knockoff" collar 10 with a hammer. In my invention both the inner and outer surfaces of the tube 20* are initially engaged by the members 10 and 16 while: the inner member 16, being relatively movable, is free to effect the reshaping action first. The tool in effect forms a socket for receiving the tube so that the two may be held together firmly grasped in the hand, and the tool repeatedly struck without danger of the same tilting or moving out of alignment with the tube, and thus interfering with the restoring action. During the action of the inner member 16 the outer member 10 is in engagement with the tube 20 and comes into action while in such engagement with the tube to facilitate entry of the tube into the recess between the members 10 and 16. Hence, each member serves as an anvil for the other during the entire operation of the device. The concentric relationship of said parts at the entrance ends thereof, forming a socket for the tube 20 and an external enclosure for resisting the initial action of the inner part 16, and the relative movability or the parts, allowing independent action thereof, renders the tool capable of eliminating bulges in both directions without jamming or upsetting the tube end to cause the formation of a metal line of irregular or non-uniform thickness, such as would be the case if the tool were struck while disposed, at an angle to the axis of the tube, or if the tube were expanded without being externally confined by the member 10, or if the tube were not in engagement with the member 10 when the latter comes into action.

A feature-of the operation of the tool is the small longitudinal movement which the male die or element 16 is accorded during the operation. This movement allows initial movementof the inner member 16 in expanding and restoring of the tube end to its original form .while the tube end is confined exteriorly by the outer member 10, and facilitates its due slipping inwardly upon the body of the element 16 and into the space between the elements 10 and 16.. By my construction' upsetting or enlargement of the thickness ofthe tube end will be prevented, and the further movement of the tube end between the outer cylindrical portion of the element 16 and the inner wall of the opening 11 in the sleeve 10 facilitated. The device is very effective in reshaping the tube by the conjoint action of the-1l5 sleeve 10 in eliminating outward bulges, and of the member 16 in eliminating inward bulges, the relative movability of the parts allowing independent action and thus preventing jamming or upsetting of the tube end which would result in the formation of a thickened or irregular metal line.

Having thus described my said invention, what I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. A tool of the character described, comprising an outer sleeve portion for engagement with the exterior surface of the terminal end of a tube, and a coaxial mandrel portion secured therein for limited axial movement relative thereto, and having a tapered terminal for engagement with the interior surface of the terminal end of a tube: said mandrel portion being of less external diameter than the internal diameter of the sleeve portion to provide an annular tube receiving space therebetween; and said portions being adapted for operation as a unit upon ablow being applied thereto; said mandrel portion upon said operation advancing within and relative to said outer portion to expand the tube into position upon the inner portion and into contact with the inner wall of the outer portion to facilitate entry of the tube into said annular space.

2. A tool of the character described, comprising an outer sleeve member for engagement with the exterior surface ,of the terminal end of a tube, and a mandrel member disposed coaxially within said sleeve member for engagement with the interior surface of the terminal end of a tube said sleeve member and said mandrel member having concentric tapered tube deflecting surfaces at the entrance ends thereof and being of different internal and external diameters respectively to provide an annular tube receiving space therebe tween; and said mandrel member having a limited axial movement relative to and within said outer member for facilitating the action of said deflecting surfaces in causing entry of the terminal end of the tube into said annular'space to be acted upon by the walls thereof.

3. A tool of the character described comprising an outer sleeve member open at the forward end and having an apertured rear end, a mandrel member axially movable within said sleeve member, and extending through said apertured rear end; said mandrel member including a cylindrical portion disposed entirely within said sleeve member and having a diameter less than the internal diameter of the sleeve member to form an annular space therebetween, and including a tapered terminal at the forward end thereof, and a head on said mandrel member at the rear of said sleeve member and adapted to receive a blow for operating said members as a unit and cause forward movement of the inner member relative to the outer member to facilitate entry of the tube into said annular space; said head being disposed to prevent relative movement of said cylindrical portion beyond the open end of said sleeve member.

4. A tube of the character described, comprising an outer sleeve member having an outwardly flaring entrance portion, a mandrel member disposed within said sleeve member and extending through the rear end thereof for limited axial movement therein; said mandrel member having a head on the projecting rear end thereof and a tapered portion thereon at the entrance end thereof; and the intermediate portion of said mandrel member being of less external diameter than the internal diameter of saidsleeve portion to provide an annular tube receiving space therebetween; and both members being operable as a unit upon imparting a blow to said head; the relative movement of the mandrel member causing the tapered portion thereof to advance relative .to the flaring entrance portion of the outer member for facilitating entry of the tube into the annular space between said members.

5. A tool of the character described, comprising an outer sleeve member of uniform internal diameter having an open forward end and an apertured rear end, an axially movable expanding member'therein including a portion of uniform external diameter reduced relative to the internal diameter of the sleeve member to form a uniformly annular tube receiving recess therebetween, and extending through the apertured rear end'of said sleeve member; said portion of reduced uniform diameter having an axial length less than the axial length of said sleeve member and having a tapered portion at the forward end thereof, and a head on said expanding member at the rear of said sleeve memberadapted to receive a blow for operating said members as a unit, and limiting the forward movement of the inner member relative to the outer member, said head being disposed to prevent relative movement of said portion of reduced uniform diameter substantially beyond the forward end of said outer member.

EDWARD S. CORNELL, JR. 

